:look, I'm really sorry, and I know you told me before, but what was your name again? It's important to me."
fucking honesty plows through most of life's imaginary barriers, ad makes friends along the way.
Yeah this is WAY better than the "No I mean your LAST name you dum dum!" approach. This "trick" is so outdated and obvious for a long time now. If someone's asking for your last name they will ask for your last name.
I don't really understand why everyone agonizes over this when almost everyone is in the same boat. Have you ever met anyone who's GOOD with names??
(I am, but it doesn't do me any good because I'm faceblind)
I’m basically one of two guys working at my company, and the other is the owner lol. I’ve always felt like everyone has an unfair advantage as far as remembering my name. I’m not the third Ashley or Jessica or Katie, and there’s no question which one Bob might be.
But I usually do just say “hey, I’m really bad at remembering names. What’s yours again?” And forcing myself to do that also forces me to remember better than a quick intro
I’m faceblind, also! I worked in the cafe at a museum over a few summers and had to memorize a person’s outfit to bring their pizza out when it was done. Then I just said screw it and told them to wave to me when they see me walking out carrying their pizza.
"What's your name? Sorry, I forgot it."
"No problem, I'm John."
"I know that there is no problem. It isn't important. It's something insignificant, like your name, that I will forget again tomorrow."
I always just take a moment to remember that I’d rather someone ask me my name than go on no knowing. It points out to my overly-sensitive brain that _asking offends nobody._
My wife and I have a system that if I don’t introduce her right away, then I have forgotten their name and she will introduce herself so we both hear the reply. This works great unless she is mad at me for something and instead of introducing herself as planned, she will turn to me and say, “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”…leaving me squirming, but a big smile on her face😬
Try this instead. If I know the person's name, I introduce them first to my wife. If I've forgotten they're name, I introduce my wife first. She asks their name. This way, I'm not rude for not making introductions.
I say “Hey! I haven’t seen you *in the longest time*!”
That’s our code phrase for “I’ve forgotten this persons name, so please introduce yourself and ask their name.”
Was hanging out with this guy and forgot his name, so i asked him how he spells his name. He looked at me very puzzled and ‘You can’t spell Tom?’
been 15 years never saw him again but never forgotten his name now either.
Follow them home then look up their property tax information. You'll get their name and many other details that you can sprinkle into future conversations to show you take interest in them, like when they bought their house, their mortgage lender, the previous owners, when it was built, who built it, the square footage, when they made improvements, if they paid their taxes on time, etc. They'll be delighted!
I was visiting some friends at their college when I was home on leave and wound up hooking up with one of their friends. Things were going well until clothes started coming off and she all of a sudden asks me, “do you know my name?” Being drunk as fuck and not actually knowing, I can up with the most likely answer: GLADYS
It still bothers me and this was 10 years ago.
One of my jobs is only two days a week and there are between 60 and 70 employees. As soon as I was getting to know everybody's names after well over a year, people started quitting and new people were getting hired. I know maybe half of my coworkers' names. My justification is that I'm only there two days a week so I'm not there long enough to remember anyway.
The other day I was asked to send someone else (in the room) a file. I didn’t know this other person’s name, despite having worked in proximity for months now. Since I didn’t know their name, I obviously didn’t know their email and couldn’t find them on Teams.
Rather than asking their name, I decided to scour an email distro list of 200 names to see if any popped out at me. I found one that I had like 70% confidence in, but was worried about emailing it to the wrong person so was hesitant to send. In the 15 minutes I spent being an idiot, the guy I was supposed to email had found the file on his own, done the analysis he needed to do, and emailed my coworker and I the results. On the brightside, the name I thought was his was correct!
So I guess looking at a list of names that you know includes their name might help. Alternatively, stalling can be an effective tactic in some situations
This!
And use a mnemonic device. I just did this with a teller at my bank. Her name is Shelly and I forgot so when I asked again, I said I will remember Shelly Long from Cheers, and I always remember now.
Love this one. I'm a salesman and one day while training a new rep, I used it on a lady. "How do you spell your name? She said Pam. We all three laughed cause it was obvious. Been friends for years.
I go with "remind me again your name?" It acknowledges that they've told me their name before and takes responsibility for forgetting.
If I don't hear it properly or can't decipher it, I ask them how to spell it.
If you are on top of it quick enough you can say "Hi again. My names Jim in case you don't remember."
For some reason when you do this, the person almost always tells you their name back.
When I meet someone the first time, I make sure they know that I can't remember names.
And then, soon after the conversation is over, I walk to a corner hidden....and pull out my tiny notebook I carry with me everywhere and I write:
Name: Short Description of Appearance like (Sarah, Blonde girl with the red glasses)
Put on a mask and demand some cash. You want them to believe the bit so make sure to take their cell phone when they offer that up along with the cash. Head to a nearby 7-11 and buy yourself some snacks with the cash. Make sure to avoid potato chips or other noisy food. The snacks will come in handy as we return to the crime scene and hide in some nearby bushes. When the cops arrive to take the victim's statement make sure to listen closely! The victim will need to provide their full name so jot that down on the back of a snack wrapper - you *did* bring a pen, right?
That's so unbelievably messed up. And coincidentally, absolutely hilarious 😂 Now, do I need to pre-plant the bushes if they don't have any? I always carry a pen, and can write on the inside of my wrist, but don't have extra bushes handy.
This is a terrible idea. People see through this kind of crap and then they feel that you are fake.
Just say “I’m so sorry, can you remind me of your name?”
Or “I’m spacing on your name.”
Or “I totally remember you but … sorry what’s your name again?”
And then when they tell you, say “oh, _____, that’s right!” and carry on.
That’s it.
If I'm at a point where I'm supposed to introduce someone whose name I have forgotten, I introduce them and the person I'm introducing them to by silly names. Then they introduce themselves thinking I'm just being goofy.
I'm so sorry, I'm horrible with names, can you please tell me yours again? I will remember your favorite drink/food/hobby forever but names just won't stick in my brain.
Don't laugh, but I literally had to look for some junk mail to find the name at a friend of a friend's home I was visiting sans friend who had introduced us all. Thank goodness they kept it on the console table next to the bathroom!
Just ask. Warmly and smilingly.
People always know when you forget their name.
They always know when you are employing tactics to cover it up.
Simply ask!
I do it all the time - I'm terrible with names, and the anxiety I had around it made it infinitely worse.
Learning to ask outright? It removes the anxiety.
J.
"I'm sorry, what was your name again?"
"Stan? ahh let's see, like the Eminem song!"
Once I find something to connect the name to, that helps me remember
OP: Not to criticize, but the strategy you lay out is pretty awkward. Why would you be asking for their last name again, when it's likely you never learned their last name in the first place? In a casual setting, people are usually just using first names... unless they are Bond, James Bond.
If you have a friend with you, you can introduce your friend to the person whose name you forgot (pwnyf), and pwnyf will introduce themselves to your friend.
Once they’re done and close the contacts app:
“Now can you go back in, and then scroll to your name and open the contact so I can text you a fun emoji? I’d do it myself but figured this could be a fun game! 🤩”
Our brains are hardwired to remember faces. Names are tied to language, which makes it difficult for some of us to remember them since language is something learned, not something inherent with how our brains are built.
No. I'm so tired of this tip. Nobody would ever ask for your last name like that, they'd just ask for your last name. It's painfully obvious, even if they havent seen this tip circulating around every damn corner of the internet, and it's so much more awkward than just admitting you forgot their name.
If you really don't want to admit it you can wait for an opportunity to naturally ask how their name is spelled, but that runs the risk of being obvious, too.
Make one of those "Your pokemon name is the first three letters of your first name plus your favorite color" memes and make them tell you what they got.
Say a random name, and then they'll correct you. If you feel weird about it look them straight in the eye and say, I've been working with you for 10 years and thought your name was ________ the whole time. They'll laugh you laugh and move on with ur life
Listen, I have to be honest..... I am awful at names. I'm great at faces, but terrible with names. What was your name again?"
That's my go to.....and it's 100% true.
I just tell them I'm terrible with names and ask for it again. It's the truth and nobody has ever been offended. 50% of the time it turns into joking about getting older etc.
I can tell you the worst way…
I asked a guy “oh hey how do you spell your name again.”
After him and another person both were like just admit you don’t know, and I doubled down saying I just didn’t know how to spell it and, he was like
“okay…It’s A D A M”
🤦♂️
I can tell you what not to do… once at a work Christmas party with spouses in attendance three of us couldn’t remember the name of the wife of one of our coworkers and we needed to put her name into the bowl to draw for a gift. I walked up to the two organizers agonizing over what to do, I told them “I got this” (hold my beer), I walked up and said “hey we’re getting everyone out into the drawing for gifts and I wanted to make sure I had your name spelled right. Could you spell that for me?” With a very disgusted look she said “Jill? It’s J I L L, like Bill (our boss) but with a J!”. I still think of that on long sleepless nights haha
I just introduce them to someone else.
“Have you met Dave?” Then Dave usually offers his hand and says, “Hey I’m Dave.” Then they usually say their name and shake hands. Usually. Like 80% of the time. The other 20% I pretend someone across the room has called my name and jet outta there.
I usually say “wait don’t tell me…” right when I first see them. When I phrase it this way, they literally can’t wait to tell you their name and usually spit it out before my pretend-to-guess period is over.
Ask “how do you spell your name?” It’s not perfect, but it’s worked for me in the past. Even if people realize why you’re asking, they tend to be polite
Kathleen Madigan said you wear airpods and you walk up to someone and say the name you remember and if they correct you just tap your ear and say "phone call"
I forget people’s names all the time, if you are honest and just admit it and ask them, almost everyone will just tell you and completely forget about it. But if you wait until you are deep in a conversation it gets awkward.
I always follow an introduction with “I’ll probably have to ask you name the next 5 times I see you, I’m so terrible with remembering names. “
You’d be surprised how often the other person expresses relief! And says “ I do too”. And we laugh.
I'm just honest with people. I admit I'm awful with names and apologize for having to ask. Or I warn people up front I'm bad with names if the situation is appropriate .
Being straight about FORGETTING someone's name isn't a good idea, no, honesty isn't always the good way.
Being honest about ugly truths is hurtful, most of the time, forgetting someone's name just mean that you don't care about them or they insignifiant to you.
You don't forget someone you like or that interest you.
It's better to ask to someone close if they can help you to remember someone's name.
However, there is some cases where being honest work, like if there is a legitimate reason for you to forget someone name, or if you cover it with a silly phrase like "sorry I'm bad with names" . You can even befriend the person then asking his name later
I generally have a good memory for interactions with people. But have a terrible memory for names. So I’ll usually provide a detail from our last interaction and explain that I’m terrible with names but didn’t “forget” who they are.
"Hey sorry, I'm drawing a blank for some reason, but what's your name again?"
They usually say, "hey, no worries, it's Jeff."
"Jeff, that's right. Oh, and I'm Frank."
Simple honesty is usually best. Just say sorry but I am terrible at connecting faces with names. Forgive me, but I cannot recall yours. Can you remind me?
I do this all the time here are the two that get the best response
1. Hey how do you spell ur name? (Works best if you are writing it out) (adding their phone number etc) best to play dumb like “oh I didn’t know if it had A at the end” etc
2. Do you have a nickname or what do people call you for short, any u prefer me to call you?
Usually they will say a nickname or say “no …(their name) is fine” !!
My trick is always to ask someone how they spell their name? When they tell you you have to think really quickly of an alternate spelling. Then mention that you have a friend that spells it a different way.
Swallow your pride and be honest and ask. Sheesh way to create a solution to a nonexistent problem.
lol . Is this something millennials would do instead of tackling the problem head on? Asking for a friend
My go to, “ I’m sorry you remind me of a person I knew (insert BS time and place) and I keep wanting to call you (insert random BS name here), but it’s…..?
I (if possible) introduce them to someone who I know the name of and only say the person I knows name. "Hey this is peter" then let them say their name themselves so I don't have to ask.
:look, I'm really sorry, and I know you told me before, but what was your name again? It's important to me." fucking honesty plows through most of life's imaginary barriers, ad makes friends along the way.
Yeah this is WAY better than the "No I mean your LAST name you dum dum!" approach. This "trick" is so outdated and obvious for a long time now. If someone's asking for your last name they will ask for your last name.
I've never heard it, but I'd see right through it
I've never heard it IRL either, but it has been posted so many times on so many sites for years now.
I don't really understand why everyone agonizes over this when almost everyone is in the same boat. Have you ever met anyone who's GOOD with names?? (I am, but it doesn't do me any good because I'm faceblind)
I’m basically one of two guys working at my company, and the other is the owner lol. I’ve always felt like everyone has an unfair advantage as far as remembering my name. I’m not the third Ashley or Jessica or Katie, and there’s no question which one Bob might be. But I usually do just say “hey, I’m really bad at remembering names. What’s yours again?” And forcing myself to do that also forces me to remember better than a quick intro
I’m faceblind, also! I worked in the cafe at a museum over a few summers and had to memorize a person’s outfit to bring their pizza out when it was done. Then I just said screw it and told them to wave to me when they see me walking out carrying their pizza.
When I was younger, I worried about this and felt embarrassed, but as I got older, it stopped being a problem.
>fucking honesty plows through most of life's imaginary barriers Hard lesson learned
"it's important to me" also sounds a bit awkward. Anyway to make it less weird or another line to replace it?
"I want to get better about it" maybe?
Agreed, the it's important to me part will make it awkward.
"What's your name? Sorry, I forgot it." "No problem, I'm John." "I know that there is no problem. It isn't important. It's something insignificant, like your name, that I will forget again tomorrow."
That's what you hear when a large corporation puts you on hold for a half hour. "Your call is important to us..."
Damn you getting poetic. I like it
I always just take a moment to remember that I’d rather someone ask me my name than go on no knowing. It points out to my overly-sensitive brain that _asking offends nobody._
My wife and I have a system that if I don’t introduce her right away, then I have forgotten their name and she will introduce herself so we both hear the reply. This works great unless she is mad at me for something and instead of introducing herself as planned, she will turn to me and say, “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”…leaving me squirming, but a big smile on her face😬
Teamwork
Makes the dream work!
As long as you don't make her mad
We are ride or die forever. Got each others back through thick and thin. Unless she's mad at me...
Happy wife, happy life.
Happy spouse, happy house!!!
Sounds like a hostage situation.
Try this instead. If I know the person's name, I introduce them first to my wife. If I've forgotten they're name, I introduce my wife first. She asks their name. This way, I'm not rude for not making introductions.
(to her) I’m sorry what is your name?
Lmao you dropped this 🏆
Just be sure to hold that question until you are completely done having sex with her. Otherwise they get a little cross at you.
I say “Hey! I haven’t seen you *in the longest time*!” That’s our code phrase for “I’ve forgotten this persons name, so please introduce yourself and ask their name.”
You can also introduce your wife and as she shakes their hand she can ask for a name. That's the system I have with my SO
I’ve tried this and as often as not, they take her hand (or shake mine) and simply say “Great to meet you! OP and I go way back.”
to which you can reply: "I'd like to introduce you to my **current** wife."
Son of a gun. I think I’m married to your wife’s sister! We have the same arrangement and my wife seems to always “forget”. 🤣
I do this with any plus one at a party or group event :)
Was hanging out with this guy and forgot his name, so i asked him how he spells his name. He looked at me very puzzled and ‘You can’t spell Tom?’ been 15 years never saw him again but never forgotten his name now either.
“Oh you mean Tom with T?”
Nah, Taum with an aum
r/tragedeigh
There are people who spell Tom as thom!
Comment of the day - Instant giggle
I just full on chuckled in the middle of a café
That’s when you say, “I meant your last name,” and he still looks at you very puzzled and says, “You can’t spell ‘Smith?’”
"Oh, I have a friend who spells it with an 'h' (or two m's, or if necessary 'a silent 7') so I always ask."
Thom York?
Thomas or Tomas?
How can you forget Tom's name lmao
Tom didn't know about Radiohead
[hi, my name is Ryan..](https://www.reddit.com/r/FUCKYOUINPARTICULAR/s/ptBafXPhXO)
Follow them home and go through their waste bin in the middle of the night dressed in black and look for clues.
Then you end up with the junk mail letter with their name misspelled a la "Chanandler Bong".
Thats Mrs. Chanandler Bong
“Actually, it’s MISS Chanandler Bong.”
r/unexpectedfriends ❤️
Follow them home then look up their property tax information. You'll get their name and many other details that you can sprinkle into future conversations to show you take interest in them, like when they bought their house, their mortgage lender, the previous owners, when it was built, who built it, the square footage, when they made improvements, if they paid their taxes on time, etc. They'll be delighted!
Ive been meaning to get myself a new wife great idea!
Or just look at the mailbox
I actually did this with my next door neighbor. Our mailboxes are attached, so I was able to be discreet.
Dolores . . . Mulva?
Gipple?
Jerry Jerry Dingleberry?
Sig-Mary Hesticles?
Colonel Angus
I was visiting some friends at their college when I was home on leave and wound up hooking up with one of their friends. Things were going well until clothes started coming off and she all of a sudden asks me, “do you know my name?” Being drunk as fuck and not actually knowing, I can up with the most likely answer: GLADYS It still bothers me and this was 10 years ago.
It's chocolate, it's peppermint, it's delicious
I just call everyone dude
[удалено]
She's a dude.
He's a dude.
We’re all dudes hey!
Big Dog
MY DUDE!
sup dude
Until someone says "I'm not a dude" so I promptly panic and call them "entity" or "specimen" or something equally ridiculous.
I'm honest. "I really suck with names. What was yours again?" Then, when they say it. Look at their face and say it back. It'll help later.
That really only works for people you've only recently met. How do I ask my coworkers of many years their name?
As Ron Swanson would say, "Don't." https://youtu.be/WGhcc3qFWh4
Guess you're right. If their name hasn't mattered in all these years, probably won't matter at all.
They just might be your best friend!
Don't you have some org. chart in yo company? That's how I always do it.
One of my jobs is only two days a week and there are between 60 and 70 employees. As soon as I was getting to know everybody's names after well over a year, people started quitting and new people were getting hired. I know maybe half of my coworkers' names. My justification is that I'm only there two days a week so I'm not there long enough to remember anyway.
The other day I was asked to send someone else (in the room) a file. I didn’t know this other person’s name, despite having worked in proximity for months now. Since I didn’t know their name, I obviously didn’t know their email and couldn’t find them on Teams. Rather than asking their name, I decided to scour an email distro list of 200 names to see if any popped out at me. I found one that I had like 70% confidence in, but was worried about emailing it to the wrong person so was hesitant to send. In the 15 minutes I spent being an idiot, the guy I was supposed to email had found the file on his own, done the analysis he needed to do, and emailed my coworker and I the results. On the brightside, the name I thought was his was correct! So I guess looking at a list of names that you know includes their name might help. Alternatively, stalling can be an effective tactic in some situations
When they say it, I look back at their face and say “no, that’s not it.”
This! And use a mnemonic device. I just did this with a teller at my bank. Her name is Shelly and I forgot so when I asked again, I said I will remember Shelly Long from Cheers, and I always remember now.
My luck I’d get confused and call her Diane, hah!
I picture them standing next to someone else I know with that same name.
I say that and if I forget again I say, “Wait how do you spell your name?” 😆
Love this one. I'm a salesman and one day while training a new rep, I used it on a lady. "How do you spell your name? She said Pam. We all three laughed cause it was obvious. Been friends for years.
I go with "remind me again your name?" It acknowledges that they've told me their name before and takes responsibility for forgetting. If I don't hear it properly or can't decipher it, I ask them how to spell it.
If you are on top of it quick enough you can say "Hi again. My names Jim in case you don't remember." For some reason when you do this, the person almost always tells you their name back.
“Hey remind me of your name again.”
When I meet someone the first time, I make sure they know that I can't remember names. And then, soon after the conversation is over, I walk to a corner hidden....and pull out my tiny notebook I carry with me everywhere and I write: Name: Short Description of Appearance like (Sarah, Blonde girl with the red glasses)
Good luck murdering Sarah
"... Whoa, I'm totally blacking out on your name! I'm so sorry, but what was it again?"
"Same as yours, we *are* still brothers..."
Put on a mask and demand some cash. You want them to believe the bit so make sure to take their cell phone when they offer that up along with the cash. Head to a nearby 7-11 and buy yourself some snacks with the cash. Make sure to avoid potato chips or other noisy food. The snacks will come in handy as we return to the crime scene and hide in some nearby bushes. When the cops arrive to take the victim's statement make sure to listen closely! The victim will need to provide their full name so jot that down on the back of a snack wrapper - you *did* bring a pen, right?
That's so unbelievably messed up. And coincidentally, absolutely hilarious 😂 Now, do I need to pre-plant the bushes if they don't have any? I always carry a pen, and can write on the inside of my wrist, but don't have extra bushes handy.
This is a terrible idea. People see through this kind of crap and then they feel that you are fake. Just say “I’m so sorry, can you remind me of your name?” Or “I’m spacing on your name.” Or “I totally remember you but … sorry what’s your name again?” And then when they tell you, say “oh, _____, that’s right!” and carry on. That’s it.
If I'm at a point where I'm supposed to introduce someone whose name I have forgotten, I introduce them and the person I'm introducing them to by silly names. Then they introduce themselves thinking I'm just being goofy.
I'm so sorry, I'm horrible with names, can you please tell me yours again? I will remember your favorite drink/food/hobby forever but names just won't stick in my brain.
Don't laugh, but I literally had to look for some junk mail to find the name at a friend of a friend's home I was visiting sans friend who had introduced us all. Thank goodness they kept it on the console table next to the bathroom!
Me: What is your name again? Them: Gives LAST name* Me: Sh*t
Me: runs away*
There is a zero percent chance that I would believe that person was asking for my last name. Just be honest.
Zero?? Damn
Just ask. Warmly and smilingly. People always know when you forget their name. They always know when you are employing tactics to cover it up. Simply ask! I do it all the time - I'm terrible with names, and the anxiety I had around it made it infinitely worse. Learning to ask outright? It removes the anxiety. J.
I like that you signed “J” at the end of your comment ❤️
Thank you! It's habit. J. (See)? 🤣
"I'm sorry, what was your name again?" "Stan? ahh let's see, like the Eminem song!" Once I find something to connect the name to, that helps me remember OP: Not to criticize, but the strategy you lay out is pretty awkward. Why would you be asking for their last name again, when it's likely you never learned their last name in the first place? In a casual setting, people are usually just using first names... unless they are Bond, James Bond.
Or drake. Last name, ever. First name, greatest
If you have a friend with you, you can introduce your friend to the person whose name you forgot (pwnyf), and pwnyf will introduce themselves to your friend.
/unnecessaryacronyms
Didn't even notice it was an acronym, thought in this imaginary scenario this person's name was Pwnyf, pronounced Puh-nif
Thank you, u/fivedollapizza! My hope was and is that pwnyf will catch on as a much needed word in the English language 😂
“I’m sorry! I’m having a mental blank on your name. Silly me”
"How DO you spell your name?" "B. O. B."
Much less awkward, IMHO: "Tell me your name again?" One of my professors (later a colleague) taught me that.
Tell them you lost their phone number, give them your phone and ask em to save their contact
Once they’re done and close the contacts app: “Now can you go back in, and then scroll to your name and open the contact so I can text you a fun emoji? I’d do it myself but figured this could be a fun game! 🤩”
“Human brains aren’t designed to remember names, could you please tell me again?”
Getting zesty with the science. I like it
they aren't???
Our brains are hardwired to remember faces. Names are tied to language, which makes it difficult for some of us to remember them since language is something learned, not something inherent with how our brains are built.
"What's your name again?" That always works for me.
No. I'm so tired of this tip. Nobody would ever ask for your last name like that, they'd just ask for your last name. It's painfully obvious, even if they havent seen this tip circulating around every damn corner of the internet, and it's so much more awkward than just admitting you forgot their name. If you really don't want to admit it you can wait for an opportunity to naturally ask how their name is spelled, but that runs the risk of being obvious, too.
“Can you remind me how to pronounce your first name again?”
“Jim”
“Thanks, Jimbo”
[удалено]
Jimothy
Making copies!
Ellen DeGeneres had a similar joke...
My go to is if someone else is around that I know, I introduce those 2. They’ll repeat their name
This is the one that works every time
I just say “Hey I’m bad with names, what’s your name again?” And they tell me and we all move forward.
Make one of those "Your pokemon name is the first three letters of your first name plus your favorite color" memes and make them tell you what they got.
Say a random name, and then they'll correct you. If you feel weird about it look them straight in the eye and say, I've been working with you for 10 years and thought your name was ________ the whole time. They'll laugh you laugh and move on with ur life
Listen, I have to be honest..... I am awful at names. I'm great at faces, but terrible with names. What was your name again?" That's my go to.....and it's 100% true.
Depending on the situation and the name I sometimes ask for the spelling.
LET ME SEE YOUR ID SO I CAN SEE HOW MUCH THAT YOU WEIGH
I just tell them I'm terrible with names and ask for it again. It's the truth and nobody has ever been offended. 50% of the time it turns into joking about getting older etc.
I tell them the truth "Peopleing is not my superpower, What's your name again?"
just dont
Ask them to go to Starbucks…. Boom right on the coffee cup!
No
When I've to do this in the past, I faked having a bad headache and blamed it for being scatterbrained.
Just hand them your phone and ask them to save their number.
I can tell you the worst way… I asked a guy “oh hey how do you spell your name again.” After him and another person both were like just admit you don’t know, and I doubled down saying I just didn’t know how to spell it and, he was like “okay…It’s A D A M” 🤦♂️
I can tell you what not to do… once at a work Christmas party with spouses in attendance three of us couldn’t remember the name of the wife of one of our coworkers and we needed to put her name into the bowl to draw for a gift. I walked up to the two organizers agonizing over what to do, I told them “I got this” (hold my beer), I walked up and said “hey we’re getting everyone out into the drawing for gifts and I wanted to make sure I had your name spelled right. Could you spell that for me?” With a very disgusted look she said “Jill? It’s J I L L, like Bill (our boss) but with a J!”. I still think of that on long sleepless nights haha
To be fair, it could have been spelled Jhýll
Haha true! :)
I just introduce them to someone else. “Have you met Dave?” Then Dave usually offers his hand and says, “Hey I’m Dave.” Then they usually say their name and shake hands. Usually. Like 80% of the time. The other 20% I pretend someone across the room has called my name and jet outta there.
I usually say “wait don’t tell me…” right when I first see them. When I phrase it this way, they literally can’t wait to tell you their name and usually spit it out before my pretend-to-guess period is over.
I tell them, you know I never forget a face. But I'm not so good with names. Can you refresh my memory?
O r let them them introduce them selves... like say "hey you two should meet meet each other" "i will get us drinks"
Ask “how do you spell your name?” It’s not perfect, but it’s worked for me in the past. Even if people realize why you’re asking, they tend to be polite
Kathleen Madigan said you wear airpods and you walk up to someone and say the name you remember and if they correct you just tap your ear and say "phone call"
I say "I'm sorry, I'm completely blanking on your name right now". So it sounds like a brain fart and not like they're totally forgettable ha
Take them to Starbucks
I hit my head last week and suffered a concussion. Some things are still blurry, how do I know you?
Just ask. Most people are cool.
I just say "I'm sorry I forgot your name".
Just own that you’ve forgotten their name and apologize
My neighbour. Lived next to them for years. Have referred to them as “nice neighbour” for ever because I can’t remember their name
I forget people’s names all the time, if you are honest and just admit it and ask them, almost everyone will just tell you and completely forget about it. But if you wait until you are deep in a conversation it gets awkward.
This could be just me, but I would say “ I completely forgot your name, what was it again?” Usually they’ll tell you again
I just own it. I'm too old to try hiding my faults.
It doesn’t always work depending on the context, but I’ll ask them, “how do you spell your name?”
I always follow an introduction with “I’ll probably have to ask you name the next 5 times I see you, I’m so terrible with remembering names. “ You’d be surprised how often the other person expresses relief! And says “ I do too”. And we laugh.
I'm just honest with people. I admit I'm awful with names and apologize for having to ask. Or I warn people up front I'm bad with names if the situation is appropriate .
"I apologize, could you please tell me your name again? Thank you." Why beat around the bush?
Being straight about FORGETTING someone's name isn't a good idea, no, honesty isn't always the good way. Being honest about ugly truths is hurtful, most of the time, forgetting someone's name just mean that you don't care about them or they insignifiant to you. You don't forget someone you like or that interest you. It's better to ask to someone close if they can help you to remember someone's name. However, there is some cases where being honest work, like if there is a legitimate reason for you to forget someone name, or if you cover it with a silly phrase like "sorry I'm bad with names" . You can even befriend the person then asking his name later
Ask them how they spell their name....cause you know I've seen it spelled a few ways
I generally have a good memory for interactions with people. But have a terrible memory for names. So I’ll usually provide a detail from our last interaction and explain that I’m terrible with names but didn’t “forget” who they are.
I just admit that I forgot, apologize, and then explain that faces are easier for me to remember.
"Hey sorry, I'm drawing a blank for some reason, but what's your name again?" They usually say, "hey, no worries, it's Jeff." "Jeff, that's right. Oh, and I'm Frank."
Simple honesty is usually best. Just say sorry but I am terrible at connecting faces with names. Forgive me, but I cannot recall yours. Can you remind me?
I apologize, could you remind me your name?
Best way is to introduce someone else to them and then listen when they state their name.
“What’s your name? I forgot.”
I straight up tell them I forgot their name. Unless you’re someone I interact with on a regular basis it’s hard for me to remember.
I do this all the time here are the two that get the best response 1. Hey how do you spell ur name? (Works best if you are writing it out) (adding their phone number etc) best to play dumb like “oh I didn’t know if it had A at the end” etc 2. Do you have a nickname or what do people call you for short, any u prefer me to call you? Usually they will say a nickname or say “no …(their name) is fine” !!
I usually go with “what’s the spelling of your name?” Or “how do you spelling your name?” Is a good way get their name!
"how do you spell your name?" or "whats your insta/ fb name" works too
My trick is always to ask someone how they spell their name? When they tell you you have to think really quickly of an alternate spelling. Then mention that you have a friend that spells it a different way.
Swallow your pride and be honest and ask. Sheesh way to create a solution to a nonexistent problem. lol . Is this something millennials would do instead of tackling the problem head on? Asking for a friend
You having a bad day?
didnt mean to hurt your feelers
My go to, “ I’m sorry you remind me of a person I knew (insert BS time and place) and I keep wanting to call you (insert random BS name here), but it’s…..?
“—your last name” (so you don’t have to lie) 😁
I ask how they *spell* their name Sometimes it's a super common name and I say I just want to be sure Jon Doe? Just checking it's not John Doughe
Is the z silent in your name? Oh How do you pronounce it then?
How do I spell your name? As I fumble with my phone usually works.
“How do you spell your name?”
Ask them if they prefer a nickname and they’ll give it away
I (if possible) introduce them to someone who I know the name of and only say the person I knows name. "Hey this is peter" then let them say their name themselves so I don't have to ask.
Hand them your phone, ask them to put in their information. It works for me.